Slaying Dragons (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: Planning gets under way for Catherine's baby shower but not without an unexpected hitch.


_Mari & Ilna- you guys are the absolute best. Thanks for EVERYTHING! There are no two people I'd rather be on this ride with._

 _Sandy-what would I do without you?_

 _REAL Worlders-I can never fully express what all your amazing support means to me. All I can say is that in our fourth calendar year your support and encouragement keeps me as enthusiastic as I was about this project day one._

 **Special thanks to 1814bealla for inspiring part of today's story.**

* * *

 **Slaying Dragons (1/1)**

"You ready to go?" Danny asked as he entered Steve's office.

The two were planning a relaxing night at Sidestreet with dinner and a couple of beers and since they'd missed lunch because they were pursuing a suspect he was eager to get to it.

"Just about." Steve finished signing a short stack of documents in front of him and placed them on the corner of his desk that served as a makeshift outbox. "Does Gracie have a way over to our house or should we give her a ride on our way?"

"It's covered," Danny replied. "Rachel picked her up after school to do a little shopping and she's gonna handle the drop off. Then I'll pick Grace up on my way home."

"Sounds good." Steve took one last look around the office to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. "Catherine is really excited to hear what Grace and Carrie have in mind for Niblet's shower."

"Well … " Danny hesitated. He'd wrestled all day with the question of whether or not to tell Steve about something that happened the previous night. On the one hand, he knew Steve might overreact bit but on the other he didn't want his best friend to think Grace wasn't interested in helping with the shower anymore. "It might be a little tougher than expected for Cath to get ideas out of Grace."

Steve stopped just before pushing open his office door and turned back to his partner. "Why?"

"Listen." Danny put both hands up palms out in a gesture he used often to try to keep Steve calm. "You can't fly off the handle because Grace doesn't even know I know this. She made Linda promise not to tell."

Steve's jaw tightened. "Not to tell what?"

Danny took a deep breath. "Grace was at Linda's last night working on a project for school. Something they have to present in front of the class."

Steve couldn't imagine Linda saying anything about the shower that would upset Grace. He knew friendships between teenage girls had their ups and downs but Linda and Grace always got along well.

"After they finished they were sitting on the porch drinking lemonade and waiting for dinner. The neighbor from a few doors down, Mrs. Kline, was walking her dog and stopped to talk to the girls for a few minutes."

"So far I'm not seeing the problem." Steve placed his hands on his hips. "I assume there's more."

"During the course of the conversation she brought up you and Catherine and said to pass along her congratulations on the pregnancy."

Steve's face softened slightly and Danny couldn't help but smile at his partner's reflexive response to anyone mentioning his impending fatherhood.

"Grace told the woman she was helping to plan the shower." Danny paused. He'd barely dealt with his own anger surrounding what he was about to say and he knew Steve wasn't going to take it any better. "According to Josie the woman went off on what a bad idea that was and how teenagers should never be involved in things like this because they have no idea how to plan a party adults would enjoy."

"That woman has no idea what she's talking about," Steve spat out angrily. "She should just keep her opinions to herself. Gracie helped plan the wedding and it was perfect."

"It was," Danny agreed. "She did an awesome job."

"She certainly did." Steve crossed his arms over his chest.

Danny picked the story back up. Better to just rip off the rest of the band aid. "When the girls came in to eat Josie could tell Grace was upset and being an Italian grandmother she asked about it immediately but Grace insisted it was nothing. Linda got worried and told Josie all the details later but said that Grace swore her to secrecy because she didn't want anyone to know."

Steve's brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"She said she didn't want anyone making a fuss but then …" Danny trailed off.

"Then what?" Judging by his partner's reticence Steve knew he wasn't going to like what he heard next.

"Grace asked Josie if she thought the woman was right. She said what if Cath and Carrie didn't really want her helping but were just being nice."

Steve headed for his desk. "The woman's name is Kline, right? And she lives on Josie's street?"

"Steve, stop." Danny grabbed his best friend's arm. "You can't go after someone just because they hurt Grace's feelings."

Steve pinned him with a glare. "Says who?"

"Says me." Danny took a deep calming breath.

"So are we just supposed to sit around and do nothing," Steve asked incredulously. "No way that's happening. If Grace is upset it needs to be addressed."

Danny couldn't help but smile. He had no doubt Steve would go to whatever lengths necessary to protect his daughter.

"I called Catherine a few minutes ago and gave her a heads up," he reported. "She said she'll try to get Grace to open up a little tonight."

Steve relaxed immediately.

No one was better at handling these kinds of things that Catherine.

He was sure she could reassure Gracie. But still … "I could just run a quick check for outstanding tickets."

"You're not arresting Mrs. Kline." Danny voice held a tone of finality.

"You never let me have any fun," Steve replied petulantly.

* * *

"Where does that woman get off saying something like that to Grace?" Steve asked.

He was talking to Catherine on speaker phone as he drove behind Danny's Camaro on the familiar path from the palace to Sidestreet. Just hearing her voice had an instantly calming effect on him.

" _She was definitely out of line. Some people don't think before they speak."_

"Or maybe she's just a bitch," Steve suggested and grinned when he heard Catherine chuckle.

" _That's another possibility."_

"The thing I don't understand is … " He struggled to pinpoint exactly what he wanted to say.

" _Why Grace wants to keep it all a secret?"_

"Yes!" He marveled at his wife's ability to once again read his mind. "Why wouldn't she want anyone to know?"

He heard Catherine sigh deeply.

" _She's getting older now. She's trying to find her place in the world. Other people's opinions, outside of family and friends, are starting to matter. She knows we love her but there's a tiny part of her that's afraid the woman might be right."_

"I just hate the thought of Grace worrying about something like this. We wouldn't ask her to be involved if we didn't want her to be part of things."

" _Deep down she knows that. She was just shocked to hear someone question it and she needs a little time to process things."_

Steve smiled as he realized all the tension that had built up since his talk with Danny was gone.

"How'd you get so smart about things like this?" he teased.

" _I was a teenage girl once."_

"Who never doubted her place in the world for a second."

He heard Catherine snort.

" _That is not even remotely true."_

"But you're sure this is gonna be ok? I don't want Gracie thinking she needs to back off or anything."

" _Let's see how things go. I have a feeling a few hours with Carrie will erase any doubts Grace might have but if things still seem off at the end of the night we'll find a way to address it directly without letting Grace know Linda shared the details. We don't want to do anything to damage the trust they have in each other. Linda did the right thing but it may take Grace some time to realize that."_

Steve sighed. "Girls are complicated."

" _You better get used to it, Commander."_

"As long as I have you beside me I'll be able to handle it."

* * *

"That woman has some nerve," Carrie snarled as she cut up some watermelon and placed it on a platter.

She and Catherine were preparing snacks for the evening's planning session as they waited for Grace to arrive.

Catherine emptied a bag of chips into a bowl. "Steve wanted to do an immediate records check on her."

Carrie's eyes danced with mischief. "If you ever repeat this I'll deny it but … in this case I think he might be right. Why not let him just take a peek and see if there's anything there?"

Catherine grinned sheepishly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"What a silly question." Carrie popped a piece of melon onto her mouth. "Of course you can."

"I looked up the woman's address," Catherine admitted, "and if it's the house I think it is they just added a big deck last year. I momentarily considered looking up building records to see if they got all the right permits."

"What stopped you?"

"It would be wrong?" Catherine said decisively.

Carrie raised her eyebrows. "Would it?"

Catherine chuckled. "You're not helping."

"Well …" Carrie huffed, "Grace is my buddy and I hate to see anyone make her doubt herself."

"Me too," Catherine sighed. "I remember when I was that age. Every emotion, especially the negative ones, seemed magnified."

"I started crying at about thirteen and didn't stop until I got my driver's license. I cried when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was mad." Carrie snagged another piece of melon. "That's why I have red eyes in half the pictures from those years."

"Your Mom told me all about that." Catherine's eyes lit up at the memory. "She calls those years the trail of tears."

Carrie nodded. "And the one thing I remember most is that my mom and my grandmother and my aunts were right there every step of the way ready to help me do battle with whatever problems I had."

Catherine smiled brightly and raised her bottle of water. "Here's to our moms and grandmas."

Carrie picked up the bowl of melon. "And now it's our turn. Let's go slay some doubt shaped dragons."

* * *

"I'd be perfectly happy to host it at our place," Carrie offered as she sat side-by-side on the couch with Grace, facing Catherine who sat opposite them in the armchair. "Or we can have it here. Or anyplace else you have in mind. I just figured you'd hate the idea of renting out a restaurant or anything like that."

"Definitely." Catherine wrinkled her nose. "That's just not me. I like the idea of having it here. What do you think, Grace?"

"Whatever you guys want," Grace smiled tightly as she made some notes on the pad in front of her.

Catherine caught Carrie's eye and the two longtime friends shared an unspoken communication. Neither liked seeing Grace like this and it was time to take action.

"So, that's venue." Carrie rubbed her hands together. "What about food?" She looked at Grace. "I know you have lots of idea written down. Hit us with your favorite one."

"Well … I mean … " Grace's eyes dropped to the carpet. "Whatever you guys think would be best."

"I want to hear what you think," Catherine said sincerely.

"Me too," Carrie echoed. "You have an amazing way of taking a simple idea and adding just the right spark to it to take it to the next level."

Grace blushed as she looked at first Catherine then Carrie. "Really?"

"Absolutely," they answered in unison.

"Ok, well I was thinking." Grace took a deep fortifying breath. "Remember the cupcakes Kaitlyn baked with the images of strong women on them?"

"Of course," Catherine smiled.

Carrie nodded her enthusiastic agreement. "Those were great."

Both women could see Grace's self-doubt slowly melting away as she continued.

"I was thinking I could do some research and come up with some ideas for foods inspired by famous strong women. You know like… I read how the suffragettes used cookbooks to subtly spread their message to other women. We could get some recipes from those."

Carrie immediately picked up on the idea and began to brainstorm. "What about some of the scientific advancements made by women that allowed for safer food preparation and storage. I just saw a documentary the other night that mentioned a woman who invented the ice cream freezer."

"Perfect." Grace made a note. "And chocolate chip cookies. Nonna told me the story of the woman who invented those. I'll have to call her and get her to tell me again."

Fifteen minutes later Grace had filled three pages on her notepad with ideas to research.

"You are awesome." Carrie high fived the teenager. "I never would have thought of that in a million years but it is absolutely perfect."

"I love the idea!" Catherine beamed.

"So, next we have gifts." Carrie knew this was a sensitive subject with her best friend. "Have you thought about where you're going to register yet?"

Catherine grimaced slightly. "You know how I feel about that. Steve and I are very lucky. We can get everything we need for Niblet from our own resources. We don't need people to buy us extravagant presents. We appreciate the thought but we'd prefer something small and personal. I'd rather the money go to people who need it."

Grace bit her lip. "There might be a way to do both."

"Really?" Catherine asked interestedly. "What have you got in mind?"

"Well … " she hesitated for just a second but the encouraging looks from Catherine and Carrie gave her all the confidence she needed to push forward with her idea. "Linda and I have been working on a project for school and part of it is about ways people can get involved in helping other people both in their own community and in other countries."

"I like the sound of that." Catherine smiled.

"We were doing some research and one of the groups we found is called Every Mother Counts. They help women in the United States and all over the world by raising money for new health centers, training local people to be midwives, and fighting for the legal rights of mothers. They work with people already on the ground to make sure their programs and services are culturally relevant so they can reach as many people as possible in each community. They want to give every pregnant woman a chance to have a happy, healthy and successful pregnancy. Here," Grace pulled up the website (everymothercounts dot org) on her tablet and passed it to Catherine.

Carrie got up and stood behind the chair to read over Catherine's shoulder as Grace continued.

"They work with a lot of online stores and companies who donate a percentage of any sale made. We could ask people to purchase a small gift from one of those stores and then if they wanted to spend more they could donate directly."

Grace looked up and saw Catherine and Carrie staring at her with their mouths hanging slightly open.

"Do you not like the idea?" she asked unsurely.

Catherine shook her head as her eyes welled up. "Exactly the opposite. I love the idea. You are an amazing young woman and this is perfect and … thank you."

Grace smiled.

"Seriously, Gracieco," Carrie said as her eyes were drawn back to the website. "This is great."

"I can't pop up out of chair like I used to," Catherine chuckled, "so I'm gonna have to ask you to come here so I can hug you."

Grace jumped up and wrapped her arms around Catherine. After a few seconds Carrie joined in to make it a true group hug.

Catherine pulled back and looked directly into Grace's now damp eyes. "You have to promise me something," she smiled.

"What?" Grace asked.

Catherine pushed a stray lock of hair behind Grace's ear. "That I'll never have to plan any kind of event without your input."

A wide smile split Grace's face. "I promise."

* * *

"So everything's ok now right?" Steve asked as Catherine moved around the bedroom readying herself for bed.

"Everything is perfect," Catherine assured him. "Seriously, Steve, it's like she has this ability to reach inside my brain and pull out exactly what I want without me even having to explain it."

"She's amazing," Steve beamed. "Which is why I still think you should let me check into this Kline woman."

Catherine chuckled. "If it makes you feel better Carrie agrees with you."

"See!" Steve reached for his phone.

"Stop it," Catherine chuckled as she set the alarm on her phone.

"Why are you doing that?" Steve asked. "You usually wake up in plenty of time to make it to work."

Catherine laid her phone on the bedside table and slipped under the covers. "I have to go in a little early tomorrow. I have a meeting with the building inspector."

 **THE END**

* * *

If you want to know more about Every Mother Counts and their mission visit everymothercounts dot org

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 _In addition, one of our AWESOME REAL Worlders, katydid13, has created a community on here on fanfiction dot net that brings all of the REAL World stories, and all of Mari, Sammy & Ilna's pre-universe stories in __one place. You can find it at_

 _community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World_


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